Attendance

Students shall be counted in attendance if they are actually present at school at the time the attendance is taken or are away from school on a school day and engaged in an educational activity that constitutes a part of the school-approved instructional program for the student (Section 1003.23, Florida Statutes).

Attendance Standard

A. All students are expected to be on time and present each day school is open during the school year.

B. Students may not be absent from school without permission of the principal/designee.

The school principal or designee is the only person authorized to excuse a student’s absence.

A note from a parent/guardian is a request that a student’s absence be excused.

When a student accumulates an excessive number of absences (5 days in a calendar month or 10 days within 90 calendar days) and additional absences occur which are caused by illness, a written statement from a physician verifying that the absence was caused by an illness may be required by the principal to be submitted by the parent/guardian (School Board Policy 4.16).

C. Habitual tardiness is defined as six (6) or more tardies to school or to an individual class per quarter.

D. For enforcement of compulsory school attendance, three unexcused tardies or unexcused early sign-outs may, at the discretion of the school principal, be considered equal to one day of absence.

Make-Up Work

A student who is absent and the absence is determined to be an excused absence, as defined by School Board Policy 4.16, is required to make up all course work missed. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain assignments from the appropriate teacher(s) upon returning to class immediately following an absence. The student will be given the number of days absent plus one additional day to make up all work missed for full credit.